A/N: Well, here you go! Some of you wanted me to post the full chapter, some of you wanted this chapter ASAP, and some of you didn't mind when! People requested when they wanted it due to working schedules, some because they just wanted me to update hehe :P
I decided to take the majority advise, which was to keep to what I was doing and only post when I was happy to. So, here you are. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter :/ Some parts I think I did well, but some I just think I could have done better or without. But I shall let you be the judge of that!
Oh, and guess what? We have gone over 150 reviews, people! WOOOOO!
Honestly, thank you from the bottom of my heart! This is so amazing! I didn't think I would get such a response, considering the amount of time travel fics out there. It's really heart warming!
Again, so many story alerts, favourites and so on! And apparently I'm now in a community O.O I was like, wow…..
Now, on to my massive chapter, and I promise that there is no cliffhanger to this one! I'm sure many of you will love me for that haha.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything that you recognise from the Harry Potter world. All of that wonderful magicness comes from the highly inventive J.K Rowling. I am merely using it as a distraction from my summer holidays homework.
WARNING: Contains mentions of underage drinking….. Well, physically anyway….. You'll see what I mean!
P.S. Can anyone tell me why there is a Sirius Black II character? As far as I am aware, there is only one of them…..
Listening To: Brick By Boring Brick- Paramore
Chapter Four- Talks, Bonding, Horcrux and a Hearing.
LMMRLMMRLMMR
Ron wasn't quite sure what to feel.
The day had started out normal- Mrs Weasley had fed them all a large breakfast before separating them into groups to tackle the latest room that was on her to-clean list. Ron hated that list with a passion, but he had soon learned that complaining would do nothing but give him ear ache. Instead, he shared an exasperated look with the twins.
Then Ginny screamed.
Ron had never in his whole life heard his sister make such a noise; it was a terrible, high pitched wail that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Mrs Weasley was the first one out through the kitchen door, quickly followed by the rest of the Weasley's, Hermione, Remus and Sirius.
He remembered the panic that coursed through his veins as they all thundered up the numerous flights of stairs. All he could think of was that he had to protect his little sister from whatever had terrified her so much, as flashes of the Chamber of Secrets flooded his mind.
There hadn't been much to do in the end, however, after his mother had caught Ginny as she fainted. His mum and dad ignored the frantic questions he shouted out to them as he was herded out of the door and told to resume cleaning.
"She'll be okay, Ron." Hermione had quietly reassured him. Ron had merely grunted in response. Logically, he knew this and that Hermione was right. But Ron had never been known for his level headedness. He didn't know what to do and the fact that his parents didn't have a clue as to why his sister had collapsed only helped fuel his helplessness. Ron hated feeling like a spare part, so he forced himself to stay calm as he tackled the cleaning of a dank and dusty bedroom with vigor.
'Harry will be here soon,' he repeated to himself as a mantra. 'He'll know what to do… He always does.'
However, the arrival of Ron's best friend only served to complicate things even more.
Baby. Time Travel. Prophecy. Horcruxes.
Those four words bounced around the inside of his mind as his emotions went haywire. Suddenly his normal day didn't seem as normal as he had hoped it would be.
The prophecy. He decided that he would push that to one side for later. He neither knew, or cared quite what one was at the moment and how it linked to the raven haired boy that was currently sat next to his little sister. As far as Ron was concerned, the so-called prophecy was the least of his worries and could be dealt with when he was alone with Hermione. Even though the thought made Ron blush a little, he was certain that she knew more about it than he did, or had at least guessed more.
Time Travel. He wasn't sure about that one either, and he was sure that everyone else felt the same. Ron had only thought that you could travel back in time a mere few hours, never mind 8 years- if that had actually happened. Ron somehow doubted that.
If it had happened, then Ron didn't know how and he couldn't really be bothered to work it out. That was a job for smart people like Hermione, Lupin and Dumbledore. His mind hadn't even acknowledge that there were very important implications connected to time travel as it was too busy being consumed by a rage that was starting to make him see red- and it all centered around his best friend.
His best friend.
The one who had knocked up his little sister.
Whenever Ron thought of that fact, his blood boiled, which, unfortunately, was happening over and over again like a loop in his imagination.
In Ron's eyes, Harry Potter had committed one of the worse betrayals there was.
How dare he! Wasn't there some sort of unspoken rule about shagging your best mate's sister? It was like an unspoken boundary, one that should never be crossed, especially when said people were currently 13 and 14 years old! Screw the fact that this supposedly happened in the future, it just did not happen!
Besides, when the hell had it happened? Harry had never shown any indication that he even liked her or really knew she existed, he thought venomously. All she had been was a loved up fan girl whenever she was around Harry, so why would he show an interest?
'Maybe he took advantage of her, and because she's so starry eyed about him, she went along with it,' he practically spat in his mind. 'Now she's knocked up and in trouble, and they're trying to pass it off as time travel.' he mentally scoffed as he folded his arms and glared at the young couple. A tiny part of his mind told him how ridiculous he sounded- 'Harry would never do something like that, and Ginny wouldn't allow it!'- and that if someone could tell what he was thinking, then he would be hexed into oblivion. But Ron pushed that little voice away as he continued his slew of acidic thoughts.
The only thing that penetrated his anger was the conversation of Horcruxes.
"What the bloody hell is a horcrux?" He ignored his mother's reprimand at his rude questioning.
A piece of a split soul was his answer. And Voldemort had made 8 of them. His diary (the one that had possessed Ginny.), a family ring, a cup, a diadem (whatever one of them was), a snake's locket, a snake and the last one…
"The last horcrux was me." Harry whispered.
Ron hadn't even been aware that he had started to pace the length of the room until he stopped abruptly at Harry's statement.
There was no screaming. There was no crying. No loud shouts of denial, no frantic hugging, no sad looks, no pity, no nothing. Everything was just silent.
Harry and Ginny watched as everyone froze in place. No one moved a single muscle and their facial expressions never changed as they all stared at Harry.
Ginny snorted quietly. "I think you've actually broken them." Mrs Weasley couldn't even reprimand her for making such a comment at a time like this; her brain had simply stopped functioning.
"You knew."
The voice that rang out in the silence seemed unnaturally loud. It was hoarse, flat, hollow and accusatory.
Everyone's eyes flickered to Sirius, who in turn was staring blankly at Dumbledore.
"You knew." he repeated.
Dumbledore swallowed hard and opened and closed his mouth a few times as he tried to work through the horror he felt and provide some sort of answer. "I had guessed." his voice cracked in its whisper.
"You guessed?" Sirius repeated as his eyes filled with tears. "You guessed that there is a piece of that bastard's soul in him? You had guessed that that piece had to be destroyed? You guessed that my godson would have to die in order to destroy it?" his voice was rising with each new word and anger leaked through his tone as hot tears ran slowly down his cheeks.
Dumbledore flinched and closed his eyes against his own tears as he nodded. He had indeed guessed all of these things. Ever since he had heard of Harry's first dream of Voldemort, when he realised there was a link between the two of them, he had suspected that there was more to it. There had to be more to the mind link than a simple rebounding killing curse, and he found his answer when he delved into Tom's past. A horcrux. It explained the link, yet his mind rejected the thought. It was horrible to even entertain the possibility as it would mean that the boy would have to die in order for the world to finally be rid of Voldemort. Such a cruel and sorrowful fate for a kind hearted boy who had suffered his whole life.
Practically all of the occupants in the room hadn't got as far as to realise that Harry must die in order for the piece of soul to be vanquished. The realisation hit them like a bolt of lightning.
Hermione had slumped back in her chair, her eyes unfocused and rivers pouring down her face. Ron was leaning over the back of his chair with his eyes closed. Mrs Weasley seemed beyond tears and now she simply looked lost. Mr Weasley and the twins still hadn't moved. Kingsley and Mad Eye simply stared at Harry, sorrow filling them as they thought of the life that had to be cut short. Remus had his head in his hands and Tonks' appearance seemed to have deteriorated to make her look like a very elderly, sick old lady.
The person with probably the least suspected reaction was Severus Snape.
Like most of the others in the room, Snape felt horrified, though to a lesser degree. Sure, he hated the Potter brat, but he did not wish him dead; his silent oath to Lily had caused him to always try his best to protect the boy. But it would appear that such a thing could not be done in this case.
He was also filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt, the likes of which he only ever felt when he thought of Lily, his Lily. It was his fault, he felt, that the boy was in such a situation. After all, the only time that this unimaginable event could have occurred is when the Dark Lord went to kill the boy when he was just one year old. If it had happened at any other time, then the Dark Lord would surely have been aware that he had done it, that he had made another horcrux. And so it was all his fault. If he had not overheard the prophecy, if he had not told the Dark Lord, if the Dark Lord had not sought out the Potters in order to kill the boy, then none of this would have happened. He did not like feeling guilty about anything to do with the Potter Brat- Harry- but he could not help it. His foolish actions as a youth had caused the boy to be doomed to a fate of long suffering and a premature death.
'Forgive me, Lily. I did not know something like this would happen. Forgive me.' he prayed as he looked into the green eyes of the boy he forced himself to hate.
Harry watched everyone's reactions, and his heart warmed at what he saw. All of these people cared about him, and seemed devastated that Fate had dealt him such a hand in life. Even Moody and Snape showed their… concern, for lack of a better word. He had always thought about how people would react if he had indeed died, and though he had seen a small glimpse of how they would take it when he had been carried to the doors of Hogwarts in Hagrid's arms, seeing the emotions flash across their faces made him really appreciate the occupants of the kitchen. He hated to see them all so lost and miserable, but before he could say anything, a statement said in a Scottish brogue interrupted his thoughts.
"You said 'was', Mr Potter." McGonagall commented calmly. Harry, and the rest of the kitchen, looked at her with confusion.
"Erm… what?" he asked.
"You said 'was', which is a past tense phrase." she explained in a voice that reminded the currently fourteen year old that she was one of his strictest teachers. "'The last horcrux was me'. Is it safe to assume that that is no longer the case?"
Harry blinked owlishly at her. Amazement flooded him as he stared at the professor. Beside him, Ginny was openly gaping at the older woman.
The rest of the kitchen all seemed to sit straighter as one and swivel theirs eyes back and forth between the Scottish woman and the black haired teen , as though they were watching a very tense tennis match.
"Well, Mr Potter?" She asked when he did not answer. Harry cracked a smile at that.
"Your assumption would be correct, Professor." he finally said.
After a few more seconds of stunned silence, Sirius let out a great cry of relief at that as a few others let out hysterical giggles of liberation.
Dumbledore's eyes began to twinkle again as he leaned across the table. "And how did this happen, my dear, wonderful boy?"
Harry smiled a little at his old mentor as Ginny leaned into his side. "It happened at the final battle." he held up his hand to forestall the inevitable questions. "Voldemort was waiting for me to surrender to him in the forbidden forest when I learned that I was a horcrux. So I did what I had to do; I went to meet him in the forest." he shrugged, as though it was an everyday thing to surrender to an evil megalomaniac. "I didn't even have my wand out. I just watched as he said the words and hit me with the Avada Kedavra."
A chorus of gasps rang out at those final words. Everyone was gaping at Harry, and Ginny had a strong suspicion that he was actually enjoying all of the drama. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"But then… How on earth are you still alive?" Hermione asked in a somewhat shrill voice. There were amazed nods of agreement. How had he survived another killing curse?
Harry untangled his left arm from Ginny and lifted up his right sleeve, revealing to all a small jagged scar that sat in the crook of his elbow.
"This is where Wormtail stabbed me in order to get some of my blood," he began to explain as he traced the white line. He ignored the growls that came from the remaining two marauders. "The blood that was used to bring Voldemort back to life. Because Voldemort was still alive, with my blood running through my veins, the blood that carried my mother's protection in it when he hit me with the killing curse, he inadvertently tethered me to life and allowed me the chance to come back to the world of the living and finish him off."
There was yet another silence at the end of his explanation (something that seemed to be happening a lot), except this one was filled with astonishment.
A few moments later, Dumbledore clapped his hands together and let out a laugh of glee. "So it was his own arrogance and ignorance that caused his downfall?"
"Yes, sir." Harry answered with a smirk of amusement at his mentor's reaction. Most of the inhabitants looked at him as if he had gone mad. "So, there you have it."
Sirius let out a bark of disbelieving laughter. "'There you have it'? That's all you have to say about that heap of emotion filled information? 'There you have it'?"
Harry shrugged at his godfather. "I've told you everything you need to know."
"That's a point," Remus interjected as Sirius began to splutter with indignation. "Why have you told so many of us? Surely you would only want a small number of people to know the truth, so why inform so many of us?"
"Good question." Harry admitted. It was Ginny, however, that properly answered it.
"We told you all because we feel you have a good reason to know and you would be useful at some point." she began to explain. "We already told you why we told the younger lot," the twins, Ron and Hermione looked indignant at being called 'the younger lot'. "and we told mum and dad because… well, they're my parents."
"And my in-laws." Harry interjected. The eldest Weasley's beamed at him. Ginny carried on.
"We also included Remus and Sirius as they are Harry's family for all intents and purposes." Said people looked gratified and prideful. "The professors were told as they have a wealth of knowledge that we could use as an advantage. And they should know in case we break any rules along the way." she ignored the looks of Snape and McGonagall sent her and the twinkle she received off Dumbledore. "And the rest of you are Aurors and can be our eyes and ears at the Ministry. Plus we trust you all." she ended simply.
Nobody quiet knew what to say as they could not find any arguments with the teen's logic.
"But what about the others? You said to them that you know about the horcrux and prophecy. Not to mention the fact that you told them you were from the future and Ginny blurted out that she was pregnant!" Hermione ranted in a huff. Ginny blushed at the last statement while Harry chuckled a little until she elbowed him in the side.
"True. I did say that." Harry answered in an unconcerned voice. Hermione just blinked at him for a moment.
"But then why are you not panicking? You told them some highly classified stuff! They might say it at the wrong time and then who knows who would find out!" she punctuated her sentence by throwing her arms up and gesturing agitatedly at her friend.
"Simple. I cast a memory charm on them as they were leaving the kitchen."
Hermione's mouth dropped open and a few laughed quietly at the sight. Moody fixed both eyes on Harry with an approving stare.
"No you didn't. I didn't see you do anything." Hermione stubbornly pointed out.
Harry gave a slightly smug, yet gentle smile. "Just because you didn't see it, Hermione, doesn't mean that it didn't happen." The tone he used strongly reminded some people of the venerable old headmaster who was currently looking simply delighted.
"You never cease to amaze me, Harry." he chuckled. Harry grinned innocently at him as the tension in the room lessoned slightly.
However, one person felt the need to disturb the new found peace.
"I hate to sound like the voice of doom," Kingsley started in his deep voice. Molly and Sirius frowned at him as everyone immediately tensed up again. "But I have a question."
Harry looked at his old friend for a moment- not that Kingsley was aware that in the future they would strike up a close friendship due to the fact that the Auror ended up being Harry's boss and advisor- before he answered in a wary voice. "Erm… well, what did you want to ask?"
"I know you have explained why you are no longer a horcrux," Harry nodded at him as several of the adults shot him confused looks. The 'younger lot' merely watched things play out. "But wouldn't all of that cancel out and be irrelevant considering the fact that you and Miss Weasley have somehow traveled back in time?"
Harry sat back as he started to contemplate the question as Sirius slumped back in his chair.
"Great. More bad news." he muttered. "Where's that Firewhiskey?" Molly shot him an annoyed look.
"Actually, I don't think it's bad news after all, Padfoot." Harry reassure in a far away voice.
"Nah, it's not bad news at all!" Ron said sarcastically. Harry flickered his gaze towards his mate; he could hear the underlying tone of anger in Ron's voice and he knew that he was the cause of it. He would have to find a moment to talk to his friend and soon, before there was a repeat occurrence of their fourth year when they weren't speaking.
"Do you have an idea, Harry?" Mr Weasley asked him, the concern strongly evident in his voice. "It does seem like what Kingsley is saying is true."
"I don't think so." Harry shook his head. His brow was still furrowed and even Ginny was looking at him, waiting for an explanation. Ginny hadn't even thought of the possibility that the horcrux still existed and now she dearly hoped that it didn't. She didn't think she could stand it if Harry had to 'die' for a second time, regardless of the fact that he would probably come back to life… again.
"Well?" Snape snapped at him. He had a massive headache and wanted nothing more than to drown in a glass of his finest elfish wine.
"In the future, the horcrux no longer existed. Correct?" he asked everyone.
"Well, we would have to take your word for it." Tonks said warily as she nodded her head along with everyone else.
"Oh, it was destroyed, I assure you. Anyway, mine and Ginny's mind and souls were apparently transported back in time, along with our child, and into our younger selves." Harry said all of this in a tone that suggested that he thought it closed the matter. Ginny smiled softly at the words 'our child', but she had to admit, she was very confused.
"But that doesn't explain anything!" Molly complained loudly. The only person not to agree with her was Dumbledore.
"But it does! Think about it. My mind and soul, along with Ginny's, were transported back in time and into our younger selves bodies, effectively causing the mind and soul's of our 13 and 14 year olds selves to cease to exist anymore. Therefore, as my soul was clearly my own in the future, Voldemort's soul no longer exists within me now."
Dumbledore nodded his head thoughtfully. "That is a rather splendid explanation for such a complicated situation."
"But it doesn't make sense!" Hermione interjected in frustration. "If we were to believe that this is true, where is your proof? You can't just create a theory and say it's true without some kind of evidence!" everyone turned to Harry expectantly.
"There is evidence. First of all, our baby is here with us," he punctuated his words by placing his hand on Ginny's stomach. Ginny's hand covered his own, causing Ron to scowl at them both. "At this moment, the baby is a part of Ginny's mind and soul as she is still carrying the child within her. The second piece of evidence is that my scar does not hurt at all."
Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius and Remus fixed the boy with piercing stares.
"What do you mean? It's been hurting a lot recently?" Remus asked frantically. Harry nodded.
"Practically every day since Voldemort's return. Or at least it did. It no longer hurts."
People had started to believe him now and silence once again rained supreme in the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place.
"Well, now that all of that excitement is over," Ginny sardonically said. "I am heading up to bed. It's been a long day." she smiled wryly before turning to her husband. "You coming?"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
Everyone expected the shout to be coming from Mrs Weasley. However the occupants of the room- minus Harry- were surprised to see that Ron had beaten her to it.
"What?" Ginny asked, a frown on her face.
"You heard! You are not going to bed together!" he spat out though clenched teeth as he glared at his sister and- possibly former- best friend. Mrs Weasley nodded enthusiastically in agreement with her youngest son.
"And why ever not? In case you haven't noticed, Ronald, I am hormonal, tired and wish to go to bed with my husband," she emphasised the word as she fixed her brother with a steely glare. "and besides, I'm already pregnant! What else could happen?"
Harry groaned quietly as she said the last part, positive that it was not helping their case at all. Hermione sent him a look of sympathy while Sirius looked like he wanted to laugh in his godson's face. The rest were just swiveling their gazes between the two Weasley's, not entirely sure whether they should be concerned or give into their amusement.
The twins were the only ones who didn't have a problem; they just openly smirked at what was going on. Sure, they didn't the like the idea of Harry and Ginny sharing a bed, but their little from-the-future sister had some very good points. Fred and George believed them when they said that they were from the future; the wealth of knowledge that they had passed on made it impossible for them to be lying in their eyes. So it didn't bother them that their sister wished to share a bed with her husband. They were married and had a kid on the way, so why not just let them? The damage was already done.
Clearly, Ron and Mrs Weasley did not share their sentiments.
"You are not sharing a room with him!" Harry grimaced when Ron jabbed his finger in his direction. It also didn't help when the tone he used to say 'him' made it seem like Voldemort was just a friendly neighbor down the street. "Your 13 years old!"
"Physically! Yesterday, I was nearly 22! What has it got to do with you anyway?" Ginny screeched at him. Her hands were on her hips and her eyes were flashing- a sure sign of danger.
"I agree with Ron. You are simply too young and we cannot allow you to share a room with Harry." Mrs Weasley added in a voice that showed that she thought that was the end of the matter. Unfortunately, Ginny either didn't get the message or she just ignored it.
"EXCUSE ME!" Ginny's voice had risen even more, causing the people closest to her- Harry, Hermione and Tonks- to cringe away from her.
"DO NOT TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME, YOUNG LADY! YOU ARE TOO YOUNG! WE WILL NOT LET IT HAPPEN!" Molly screamed back at her. She then rounded on Arthur. "Will we, Arthur?"
Arthur's face clearly showed his desire not be apart of the row as he looked like a deer trapped in the headlights. Fortunately for him, he was saved from answering by Harry.
"Ginny, maybe it's best we sleep in separate rooms, at least until everyone gets their heads round the situation." he suggested quietly to his enraged wife.
The fierce glare that Ginny shot at Harry caused him to flinch back in his seat. This did not help Sirius with his fight for seriousness. The twins shook silently with laughter.
"Oh, I see." Ginny whispered with sarcastic venom. Harry sank even further in his seat. "The Great Harry Potter has spoken!" Harry frowned at that, thinking that it wasn't fair. Ginny wasn't finished, however.
"Well, fine!" she said in a shrill voice as she pushed her chair back with an audible screech.
"Fine!" she repeated again as she stormed towards the door. She pulled it sharply open and turned to give the black haired teen another poisonous look. "Hope you sleep well, dear." she derisively commented before sweeping out of the door in a huff.
Harry sank even further in his chair at the double meaning in her parting words.
Molly looked slightly guilty at the way Harry had just been treated when all he was trying to do was keep the piece between Ginny and the family. The suddenly tired look on his face made her heart twist with sadness as confusion settled in the forefront of her mind.
Harry wearily rubbed his hand across his forehead as he shot a sideways glance at Ron. "Thanks for that, mate."
Ron merely sneered at Harry, before sweeping out of the room in a fashion similar to Ginny.
Sirius couldn't help it anymore. He let out a great bark of laughter, which was quickly followed by a gasp of pain as Remus smacked him upside the head.
"Hey! What was that for?" Sirius complained as he rubbed his head. Remus merely rolled his eyes at the mutt. Snape sneered at Sirius' antics.
"What was all that about?" Tonks asked as she hid a smile. She felt sorry for the poor boy, but it was rather humorous; especially when he cowered away from the small girl.
Harry sighed. "That was Ron being a prat and a tired Ginny being run by hormones." This time, a ring of chuckles sounded around the room.
"On that note, I believe it is time for us to retire to our beds." Dumbledore said in a jolly tone. Harry glared halfheartedly at him which caused the twinkle in those piercing blue eyes to flare once more. "Harry, I shall be around in the morning to discuss some more things with you. Namely that horcrux that resides in this house."
"Sure."
A chorus of goodnights rang about the room as the order members left the kitchen to go to their beds or respective homes.
Harry was one of the last to leave. "It's good to be back." he muttered under his breath as he hoped that Ron would not kill him in his sleep.
LMMRLMMRLMMR
Sirius sat alone in the kitchen of his family's home, a cup of hot tea and whiskey cradled in between his hands on the table.
His mind was still spinning so much from the earlier revelations that it had caused him to be unable to sleep. Now all he was doing was staring at a spot on the wall as he tried to process it all.
It was all just so maddening!- something that Sirius did not need any help with. He believed his godson when he said that he and Ginny had traveled back in time. He knew that he would not make up such a thing. In Sirius' opinion, the time travel was the least important thing. He had just seemed to accept the theory and move on; it wasn't actually as far fetched as everyone else seemed to think it was.
Before his thoughts could carry on wandering about the night's events, the kitchen door slowly creeped open before Harry walked through it.
"Oh." he stopped short when he noticed his godfather sat at the table alone. "Hey. Didn't expect anyone else to be awake." he sat down across from the physically older man and used his wand to conjure up another cup of tea identical to his godfather's.
"Couldn't sleep. Anyway, aren't you not supposed to do magic during the holidays?" he raised an eyebrow mockingly at Harry, who merely grinned back.
"Supposedly. But the Ministry can't track it here. The wards and the fact that so many fully qualified witches and wizards pass through everyday make it impossible."
Sirius' other eyebrow raised in surprise. "I didn't know you knew that." Harry merely shrugged, but offered no explanation. Sirius decided to let it drop for now.
"So, why are you down here?" he asked instead.
"Same as you. Couldn't sleep."
"Aww. Missing your beautiful wife?" Sirius teased. Harry smiled softly at the man he thought he'd never see again.
"Yeah. Just a bit." his voice was tender and his eyes unfocused a little as he thought of the red haired woman who was asleep upstairs. Sirius watched the expression on Harry's face with a look of wonder. The last time he had seen Harry, the boy had been practically begging him not to leave him in the aftermath if the third task. The young lad had been scared and traumatized and it had felt like physical pain for Sirius to leave him, especially when those haunted green eyes begged him not to go, to stay and help ease the pain.
Now, the Harry that sat in front of him was married with a kid on the way, and Sirius thought that he'd never seen him look so happy.
"You and Ginny seem good together. You both seem genuinely happy and content." he commented as he took another sip of his tea.
"Thanks. She makes me happy." Harry answered softly.
"Will she still be angry at you in the morning?" Sirius couldn't help but chuckle as he remembered how the boy in front of him had flinched and cowered with one look from the red spitfire.
Harry chuckled along with him. "I don't know. With all of the imbalanced hormones floating around inside her, I never know how she's going to react anymore." he shrugged with a good natured grin on his face. "I'll just take it as it comes." Sirius laughed a little bit more.
"So, finding all of this weird?" Harry questioned as he tilted his head to the side. Sirius nodded his head vigorously and mumbled around a mouthful of tea.
"Hell yes. I'm just trying not to think about it too much. If I do that, then my head doesn't hurt. Besides, your still Harry. Just with more knowledge and a new family."
Harry grinned at him, satisfied with the answer before a silence descended on the pair, punctuated only by the sounds of swallowing. Both men were lost in their own thoughts, which, strangely, revolved around the same subject.
Sirius broached it first.
"I die, don't I?"
Harry's eyes snapped up to look into Sirius' grey ones. He quickly looked away, which confirmed Sirius' theory. "Thought so."
"How did you know?" Harry said softly. His cup now lay abandoned as he stared sadly at the man across from him. Sirius sat back in his chair and shrugged.
"The way you've been looking at me all night. Like you cant believe that I'm actually there, like I'll disappear at any moment, like a dream. And earlier, when Ginny first woke up this morning, she said my name in the same disbelief, along with Remus and Fred's."
Neither of them spoke again as they stared at each other until Harry swallowed thickly against the tears that were forming.
"Yes. You die. And it's all my fault."
The broken whisper caused Sirius to crease his eyebrows. The fact that his suspicions had been confirmed didn't really bother him. He already knew he died at some point, as every eventually did. What concerned him was the fact that Harry seemed to be heaping the blame upon himself.
"What do you mean, it's all your fault?" he asked quietly.
Harry sucked in a ragged breath that did nothing to steady his voice. "Voldemort tricked me. I thought he had you, so I went after him. Only neither of you were there- only a group of Death Eaters." Sirius' eyes widened in worry. "Eventually the order came to help and you came too. To protect me. You ended up dueling Bellatrix," Sirius startled at the name. "You were mocking her and when you were distracted, she hit a spell at you, causing you to fall into the Veil of Death."
Sirius sat there, stunned. 'Well, at least I went down fighting,' he thought to himself. 'But why does Harry blame himself.'
"Why is any of that your fault?" he asked the boy sat across from him.
"Because," Harry half wailed as tears leaked from his eyes. He had not let himself feel like this for many years, and now he couldn't seem to turn off the grief. "If I didn't let him trick me, if I didn't go running after him, then you wouldn't have been forced to come and save me!" His sobs rendered him incapable of speech.
Sirius looked gob smacked for a few moments before he stood from the table and walked round the other side. When he reached his godson, he knelt down and wrapped his arms around him.
"Harry, none of that is your fault! Voldemort is manipulative, he uses people against you. You had no way of knowing." He rested his head on the boy's black hair and closed his eyes. "You didn't curse me and cause me to fall. It wasn't you. If anything, it was my fault. I shouldn't have let my arrogance take over."
Harry just continued to cry. Sirius wasn't saying anything that he didn't already know, but the fact that it was Sirius who was telling him all of those things, made him feel better. He felt comforted at the reassurance and his mind was put at ease a little as he listened to the words.
Neither of them said anything more, they just held onto each other, gaining comfort from the other.
Eventually, another thought occurred to Sirius.
"So, when does all of this happen?"
Harry's reply came in a hoarse and cracked voice. "At the end of the next school year. This time next year, you'll be dead."
Sirius closed his eyes tightly as he fought not to swear. Only one thought stopped his mind from tumbling into chaos.
"Don't worry, Harry. We're going to change this. I'm not leaving you."
Harry nodded against him. "Yes. We're going to change this."
LMMRLMMRLMMR
The sound of the kitchen being thrown open jolted Harry Potter from his deep sleep. With a jolt, he sat bolt right up from where he was slumped in a wooden chair. He soon regretted the movement, however, when a spasm of pain throbbed in his forehead. The groan from opposite him alerted him to the fact that Sirius was feeling just as rough as he was.
After the pair had had their little heart to heart (and a little cry, which won't be mentioned to the others), they had decided to forgo the tea and go straight to the Firewhiskey in an attempt to liven up the mood. It had started out innocent, until they decided to see what the limits of Harry's teenage body was. Apparently, and surprisingly, his body could actually hold quite a lot of alcohol.
But now, as he rested his head gingerly back on the table, Harry severely regretted drinking with Sirius; his head hurt, his stomach rolled uneasily, and, because of his awkward sleeping position, his neck and back ached.
There was an annoyed huff and a few chuckles coming from the doorway that made Harry wonder who had just walked in.
"Just look at the state of you two!" 'Ah. Molly. Ooops.' Harry thought. "What have you been… is that Firewhiskey?" The high pitched sound the Weasley matriarch was emitting caused both of the dark haired men to cringe slightly.
"Molly, will you please keep it down? My head feels like Kreacher's bashed me around the head with a frying pan." Sirius's muffled whine could be heard. Harry snorted as a memory of Kreacher doing exactly that, but to a different criminal, flashed across his mind, before it was cut off by his low groan. More snickering broke out from around him.
"No, I will not! It's your own fault! And just look at poor Harry! The first night he's here, and you get him drunk!" She carried on, although her voice was actually quieter than it was before.
Harry lifted his head slowly and peered through one bleary eye. He could just barely make out the fuzzy outlines of the twins, Remus, Tonks (who had apparently slept over) and Hermione before he tried to focus on Mrs Weasley.
"Actually, Molly, I came up with most of the reasons why we should drink more. I think Sirius was actually trying to be the voice of reason at one point." he pointed out. He was sure he heard Remus mutter a 'like that would happen!' under his breath.
"It doesn't matter! You are under age…"
Harry frowned. "I will have you know that I am 23 years old, thank you very much!" a part of him cringed at the childish way that came out.
"Yes, but dear Harry-kins-"
"You clearly aren't 23 years old-"
"We mean, have you seen your scrawny body?"
"It's enough to make anyone think you were about 12, right Fred?"
"Right George." The twins conversed in their dizzying way. Harry glared half heartedly at them.
That was when he sensed someone sit down beside him and pass him his glasses. After putting them on, the form of Ginny came into focus. She didn't look too happy.
"I can't leave you alone for one night, can I?" She frowned. Harry gave her a weak smile.
"It would seem so."
"How did you end up drinking, anyway? I thought you went to bed?" A slight look of bitterness flashed in her eyes before she shoved it away. Ginny still felt slightly betrayed from last night, but the larger part of her brain- that was more logical this morning- knew that he hadn't done it because he wanted to be apart from her, but rather so that she wouldn't fight with her parents. While she thought that was sweet and completely Harry-like, it had greatly annoyed her that after such a long and confusing day she couldn't just lie down with her husband's arms wrapped around her.
"I did, but couldn't get to sleep. So I came down here and started talking to Sirius." He shrugged casually, but a flash of something in his eyes caused Ginny's frown to hold a hint of sadness. She knew why he couldn't sleep and that made her feel more than a little guilty for her parting comment last night.
"Harry, I'm so sorry about-" she began, but was cut off by a shake of Harry's head.
"Don't worry about it." he said as he intertwined his hand with hers and place a small kiss on her cheek.
Molly, who had been watching the whole interaction, smiled a little as she watched the pair. The way Harry had instantly forgiven her daughter for her harsh sounding words last night and the guilt that played on her youngest's face caused a tiny sliver of doubt to enter her mind, but she firmly pushed it away. They were too young to share a bed. Satisfied with her resolve, she turned around to start on making breakfast when Albus Dumbledore walked through the door.
"Good morning everybody." He greeted cheerfully to all of the kitchen's current occupants. A chorus of 'Hello Albus/professor' sounded back at him.
"Would you like some breakfast, Albus?" Molly asked without turning around from her place at the stove.
"Ah, yes please, Molly dear." He smiled at her back before turning around to look at two of the people that sat at the old table. He chuckled at what he saw; Harry was sat with his eyes closed and his head leaning on Ginny's shoulder and Sirius was sat with his elbows on the table and his own head cradled in his hands. "Rough night, boys?" he innocently asked.
Fred and George threw their heads back with laughter while Tonks snorted and Hermione and Remus giggled to themselves. Harry and Sirius glared at everyone.
The laughter was soon cut off by a low groan as Ginny suddenly leapt to her feet and bolted from the room, a hand clamped to her mouth. Harry was only a few steps behind her, wincing as he followed.
"Oh dear." Molly sighed as she set down several plates of food.
"What?" Tonks asked, her eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "Why did she run off like that?"
"Morning sickness. It's murder with us Prewitt-Weasley girls." Molly smiled grimly. "I remember when I had it with my lot. She'll be fine, she just needs a hearty meal down her." And with that, she began to bustle around the stove once more.
"Ugh, I think I might go and join her." Sirius grumbled as his skin tinged green.
Remus raised an eyebrow at him. "I didn't know you were pregnant, Padfoot."
This set people off again, including Sirius who rolled his eyes and flinched at the noise.
It was while they were laughing when Ron came into the room.
"What's so funny?" he mumbled as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
Hermione chuckled once more. "Never mind. You had to be there." She waved his protests off and tucked into her breakfast.
Ron eventually huffed and gave up asking. "Where are- oh." his new question was abruptly cut off when the pair he was about to ask about walked into the room.
"Alright, dear?" Mrs Weasley questioned Ginny as she placed a plate in front of her. Ginny nodded weakly and Harry gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. Ron scowled darkly at them, before ignoring them completely.
The only sounds to be heard after that were the scrapings of knives and forks against plates until everyone had finished eating. Harry had hardly eaten anything and had eventually given his nearly-full plate to his wife, who had then wolfed it down after finishing her own plate. Her brothers stared at her with equal parts amusement and pride.
"I'll clean up." Tonks cheerfully stated before anybody could protest. She gathered the plates in her arms before standing up. She got halfway across the room before she tripped over the legs of one of the twin's chairs and the crockery tumbled out of her arms.
"Tonks!" Mrs Weasley groaned. The girl grinned sheepishly at the older woman before waving her wand at the broken pieces.
"Arthur gone on guard duty?" Remus asked between sniggers.
"Yes. He should have relieved Sturgis at five am." Dumbledore calmly answered before turning his gaze to Harry. "Now, I believe we have a few things to discuss."
"Yes sir." he replied as he turned his body to face the headmaster. Ginny also turned her own body, determined to be apart of the conversation. "The horcrux?"
"Yes, we will come to that in a moment. First of all, I wish to ask you about your upcoming trial at the Ministry."
Harry frowned. "I cannot tell you every little detail about the future, sir."
"I know, Harry. You have divulged a wealth of knowledge in the past 24 hours which is enormously beneficial to us." He said with a kindly smile. "But, this is quite a minor plot point, one would think. I am sure that a little extra information wouldn't hurt. I merely wished to know if the hearing would be as fair and just as I expect it to be."
Ginny snorted at the old man's words. She stared defiantly at the looks people gave her.
"I take it Dumbledore is once again underestimating our dear Minister." Sirius observed, a look of disgust on his face at the thought of Cornelius Fudge.
"Sirius! Don't be so rude!" Molly reprimanded. Before Sirius could retort, Albus cut back into the conversation.
"Of course, Sirius has a point. I do tend to hope for the best in some people." He nodded his head at the young animagus before turning to the red headed female. "Now, would you care to elaborate on your reaction?"
Ginny angrily huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "The 'hearing'," her voice dripped with sarcasm as she stretched out that word. "Was nothing more than Fudge's way of showing his supposed dominance. He might as well have just peed on Harry." Said boy grimaced in disgust as the twins silently shook with laughter.
"Ah. I was afraid of that happening." Dumbledore frowned heavily.
"What happened?" Hermione interjected; her face was twisted with concern at the treatment the Minister had given her best friend. Harry let out a frustrated sigh.
"In a nut shell, he deliberately changed the time of the hearing to make me look bad, didn't allow me to finish answering any questions, claimed I was telling rehearsed stories and tried me in front of the entire Wizengamot."
There were noises of outrage and disgust at his words. Even Ron dropped his icy demeanor in favour of an ugly glower.
"He did what?" Sirius hissed, a feral look in his eyes. Nobody deserved to be treated like that, especially not his godson! He wanted very badly to waltz into the Ministry and show Fudge who was more 'dominant'.
Dumbledore sighed a long suffering sigh. "Well, we cannot allow it to happen that way this time round." His tone effectively showed that that was the end of the current conversation. "Now, I believe we should move on to the whereabouts of the locket horcrux." He looked expectantly at Ginny and Harry, as did everyone else.
"Right." Harry began as he rubbed his hand over his forehead. "The locket horcrux is somewhere in this house…"
"Wait!" Sirius interrupted. Everyone turned to look at him. "I have a question that needs to be answered."
"Yes?" Harry tersely asked. He had already expected this question off the older man, but he wished he had been wrong and Sirius would just drop it. But, apparently fate didn't like him that much.
"How did the horcrux get here in the first place?"
"I'm not the right person to be asking-".
"But you know how?"
"Yes."
"Well? Tell me." Sirius sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. His look was expectant and defiant.
"It has something to do with your brother." Harry sighed. Sirius nearly fell out of his seat in shock as Remus and Tonks looked at him, concerned. George, Fred, Ron and Hermione didn't even know that Sirius had a brother.
"That little Death Eater?" Sirius spat out; the younger lot flinching at the venom in his words as they processed what he had said- 'Death Eater'. "What has he-"
"Ask Kreacher. He knows better than me."
"KREACH-"
"Sirius, shut up! I can't tell you more!" Harry snapped at him. He hated to give him such short and nonsensical answers, but he really felt that Kreacher would be able to explain it better. And maybe, just maybe, the man and elf could get along a little better than they had been. He wasn't keeping his fingers crossed for it, but it was still a possibility. "Now, I can't quite remember which room the horcrux is in…" he bit his lip and turned to look into Ginny's brown eyes. He could see that she was thinking back to when they had found and thrown out the locket many years ago. Everyone was quiet as they watched the couple think.
"There was that music box…" Ginny said quietly. "The one that made everyone sleepy…"
Harry hummed in agreement. "And the Order of Merlin… and the spider tweezers…"
They were quiet for a few more moments before they both snapped their eyes back to each other. A quick silent conformation that they were thinking the same thing, and then the pair stood swiftly and headed towards the door.
"Oi! Where are you going?" Ron shouted out to them, his angry glare back in full force. Harry inwardly sighed at the look. It looked like a bit of sleep hadn't cooled down his friend's fury.
"To get the locket. Wait here." He turned around, only to look back at the headmaster as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Oh, and sir? Could you possibly have Fawkes bring the Sorting Hat please? Thanks." And with that, they both raced out of the room, leaving some stunned and irritated people staring after them.
A few minutes and a flash of flames later, the Sorting Hat lay limply on the worn table along with a heavy, ugly gold necklace with emeralds imbedded in the shape of a snake on its front. The witches and wizards just stood in a loose circle, staring at the unattractive piece of jewelry.
"That's it?" Remus asked. Ginny nodded.
"You are quite sure?" Dumbledore probed. Harry snapped his gaze to the old man.
"Yes. I spent many months around that thing. I know what it is." He said bitterly. He hated the locket with practically every fibre of his being. He had had that thing around his neck, had it mess with his thoughts, had had it plant dark images in his mind, had the cool metal press against his skin. The locket had caused him to loose his best friend for a while, had nearly made him attack his friend, before it had fused with his own flesh and had to be severed off his skin.
Yes, he hated that locket.
Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and squeezed it tightly. She knew how he was feeling, could sense it in the rigid way he held his body. The thing that lay before them had nearly destroyed him and she would be glad to see the end of it.
The twins snorted.
"Can't say I'd give that to my girlfriend at Christmas." George commented. Fred nodded his head eagerly in agreement. Mrs Weasley glared at them.
"What did you need the hat for?" Tonks asked. Harry dragged himself out of his thoughts as it took a moment for him to register what she had said. When he made sense of her words, he grinned at the metamorphmagus.
"Watch and learn." he said, before picked up the hat. The people surrounding the table watched in fascination and a little bewilderment as he shoved his hand inside the brim and furrowed his brow in concentration. A few moments later, he pulled his arm out from the hat, but instead of being empty handed, a gleaming silver sword encrusted with rubies on the hilt came from the shallow depths of the Sorting Hat.
Harry smirked at the goggling faces that stared at the sword in his hand with amazement. Although Ron and Dumbledore had seen the sword and knew where it came from, they still couldn't help but marvel at what Harry had just done.
"Whoa." Fred and George whispered in unison. That seemed to break the stunned attitude everyone had.
"But that's… that's… what is that?" Remus stuttered.
"It's called a sword, Moony." Sirius mumbled distractedly. He received a half hearted glare from the werewolf.
"I can see that. But where did it come from? Who does it belong to?"
"This," Harry said as he held the sword up for all to see. "came from the headmaster's office at Hogwarts and it once belonged to Godric Gryffindor."
Ginny giggled outright at the astounded expressions that flickered on their faces.
"But how is it going to help?" Mrs Weasley inquired, puzzled.
"Oh, I know!" Hermione gasped out. She ignored the 'of course!' that came from the Weasley children and Harry. "It's impregnated with Basilisk venom, which has only one known and rare cure; Phoenix tears!"
"How the…" Sirius began, before he shook his head. It was useless asking such things- he would get no response or answer from any of them.
"Correct, Miss Granger." Dumbledore smiled at the bushy haired girl. "From what I know of horcruxes, the Basilisk venom that lies within the sword will indeed destroy the piece of Voldemort's soul for good." Harry nodded in agreement. It was quiet again as people looked from Harry to the sword, and then to the locket.
"Well, go on then!" Tonks exclaimed. "Stab it!"
Harry took a deep breath before he let out a hiss of parseltongue that caused the rest of the room to shiver slightly. The locket's hinges clicked before it opened slowly, exposing two small window panes that were filled with a black cloudy substance. Harry stared at the locket's interior for a brief moment, half expecting a pair of red eyed to appear like they had last time, before he raised the sword and quickly brought it down to stab the tainted windows.
A high pitched scream of sheer pain filled the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place before it died down, leaving behind nothing but a few furls of smoke that escaped from the ruined pendant.
LMMRLMMRLMMR
The few weeks between Harry's arrival at the Headquarters of the Order and the date of his trial at the Ministry passed with a familiar routine. Each day a new room was sorted through and cleaned and dusted to within an inch of the occupant's lives- the Twins stealing some of the more questionable items to investigate for their joke shop. One of the few things that happened during that time was the talk Harry and Ginny had when her older brother's attitude started to become unbearable. Ron still wasn't talking to either Harry or Ginny and had decided to communicate instead with a very watchful eye and some heated glares, something that irritated the latter severely.
"He just needs to grow up!" Ginny exclaimed as she paced the living room. Harry watched her warily from his seat on the sofa, afraid that she might channel that anger towards him. "I mean, he just needs to get over it! Everyone else has!"
"It was a massive shock to him, Ginny. Hell, it shocked us! We've just adapted easier." He reminded her softly. Ginny barely even looked at him as she ignored his comments.
"Honestly, you'd think we'd have suggested we show him how the baby was made! Oh, but we can't even do that because we aren't allowed to sleep in the same room!" She growled. Harry had heard this line many times during the duration of the past few weeks. Even though Ginny had calmed down about the situation and had stopped being angry at Harry, she still had random bouts of emotion when she was highly hormonal. Like she was now.
"Gin," Harry said soothingly as he grabbed her hands and led her to the sofa. Once they were sat down, he wrapped his arms around her waist and she leant against him. "It'll all blow over soon. Just let everyone calm down and adjust. Besides, all of this stress isn't good for poor David."
Ginny's brow creased and she gave Harry a funny look. "Who's David?" Her question received an innocent look.
"The baby, of course."
Ginny's mouth dropped open. She moved slightly away from Harry to take in his facial expression and see if he was joking.
"Oh dear Merlin, You're serious aren't you? You want us to name the baby David." She looked aghast at the thought.
Harry shrugged. "Well, yeah. Why not? I think it's a nice name."
"No. We are not naming the baby David." She stubbornly replied.
"What? Why?"
"David Potter? No. Doesn't have that ring to it. Besides, it's a completely normal name." She persisted. Harry was now the one giving out odd looks.
"What do you mean it 'doesn't have a ring to it'? Of course it does! David Potter." He repeated the name several times as if to prove his point. "And you don't want to name our baby David because it's too normal?" He raised an eyebrow incredulously at her. Ginny responded while crossing her arms defiantly across her chest.
"We are not having David. Besides, how could the Harry Potter have a child with a normal name?" She wrinkled her nose in fake disgust. Harry chuckled at her. "Now, what about Paul?"
Harry groaned and leaned his head against the back of the lumpy sofa. "No!"
Ginny giggled. "Fine. Dylan?"
"Er… no. John?"
"Uh-uh. Simon?"
"What's with all the biblical names?"
"Huh?"
"Never mind. Charles?"
"Too formal. Hamish?"
"Hamish? Are you crazy?" Harry exclaimed, horrified. Ginny burst out in a fit of giggles. Harry couldn't resist joining in. He hugged his wife closer to him as they both let out tears of laughter.
"Wait, how are we even sure if it's a boy? It might be a girl." Ginny pointed out after they had calmed down a bit. Harry hummed thoughtfully as he pulled Ginny back into his arms.
"It just seems more likely that it'll be a boy. I mean, look at your family. And I was an only child, and so was my dad and obviously we were both guys." Ginny nodded as she accepted the explanation. A few more minutes passed before Ginny broke the silence.
"How about James?" she asked quietly. Harry snapped his head down to hers and stared fathomlessly into her deep brown eyes. She just stared steadily back, a small smile on her face as she watched him swallow thickly a few times.
"I-I…. James?" He asked breathlessly. Ginny nodded at him.
"Yes, James. I like it, and I'm sure we'll raise him to be brave enough to honour his Granddad." Harry's answering smile was blinding as he pulled her in for a sweet kiss, tears in his eyes.
"Thank you." He whispered against her lips as he hugged her closer.
"James Potter." Ginny said after they pulled away from each other. Her joyful expression soon turned confused when she saw Harry shake his head.
"No. James Sirius Potter." He said instead. The pleading tone in his voice made her smile once more. Ginny grinned once more as she grabbed Harry's hand and rested it on her stomach.
"Yes. James Sirius Potter. A great prankster in the making."
LMMRLMMRLMMR
Harry chuckled under his breath as Arthur Weasley nervously shifted from foot to foot beside him. The duo were stood in a corridor that had no windows decorating its black, bare walls, facing the door that lead to Courtroom Ten. It was currently 7 am, two hours before Harry's hearing was supposed to 'officially' start. In actual fact, the court case would start in one hour.
After hours of deliberations, Dumbledore and Harry had decided that the best course of action was to be a few hours early in order to avoid the mad rush that had happened last time. Once they were inside the courtroom, however, there was only so much they could do.
"And here I thought that I was the one standing trial." Harry commented lightly as he watched his father-in-law begin to pace. The balding red haired man blushed a little around his ears as he stopped and looked at Harry. The young man was leaning casually against the wall, his hands shoved into the pockets of his suit trousers. Arthur smiled a little as he thought of the differences he saw in the young man.
Before he had seen Harry this summer, Arthur had been worried about the teen. After the Third Task of the Triwizard tournament, Arthur had begun to seriously fear for the teen's mental health. He had looked so small and weak and vulnerable as he sat stiffly in his wife's arms that Arthur was positive that a small piece of the selfless boy had been lost forever. It had been a wide worry for most members of the Order that Harry would start to seclude himself and become a shadow of the boy they were all fond of.
That had not been the case, however. Instead of the broken boy they had all expected, they received a time traveling man that wowed them all.
Arthur secretly thanked all of the lucky stars in the universe for sending Harry and his daughter's minds and souls back in time. Even though it was a situation that none of them were prepared for, and no one knew how to solve, Arthur was thankful. The man he saw everyday excluded a confidence that he had never seen in the Boy-Who-Lived before. He was still selfless and caring and polite and just Harry, but now he seemed to have become a strong and successful leader.
Harry's relationship with Ginny was the thing that made Arthur smile the most, though. They both seemed so comfortable with each other as they laughed and messed around, yet it was the moments where they looked at each other with such tenderness and love that warmed the patriarch's heart.
He did not actually agree with his wife on the young couple's sleeping arrangement. As far as Arthur was concerned, they had proven that they could be mature and responsible and that was enough for him to allow them to sleep in the same bed. He vowed that he would talk to Molly when his work shift was over.
"Sorry. I'm just nervous." He answered Harry's earlier comment. The black haired boy smiled reassuringly at him, but before he could say anything, another voice cut in.
"What are you doing down here?" Harry and Arthur turned around to look at the owner of the flustered and blustering voice and were unsurprised to see the slowly reddening face of Cornelius Fudge.
"I believe Mr Potter is here for his hearing, Minister. I was just escorting him down here." Mr Weasley answered in a forced polite tone. Fudge apparently didn't notice as he advance on the duo.
"H-how did you know his hearing would be here?" He asked in a frantic tone. Harry almost smirked as he saw Fudge's composure slip a little.
"I heard a rumour wandering around the offices, so we thought we'd come down here just to make sure. Lucky we got here a few hours early, eh Harry?" Arthur winked covertly at the young teen who grinned back and nodded.
Fudge spluttered for a few moments before he drew himself up to his very unimpressive height. "Very well. Arthur, you can leave now. Mr Potter can wait inside the courtroom." He ordered before turning on his heel and waltzing clumsily through the door. Harry sighed before pulling away from the wall.
"I'll be here when you come out Harry." Mr Weasley smiled at him before laying his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Good luck, son." and with that, he walked back up the corridor. Harry couldn't help but look after him, his heart still lifted after being called 'son'. He soon snapped out of it though, and walked through the door into the Courtroom.
LMMRLMMRLMMR
The atmosphere in Courtroom Ten was uncomfortable and tense. Harry and Fudge had been the only ones in the room for roughly half an hour before the room started to fill. They both studiously ignored each other as Harry sat in the chained chair and Fudge bustled over his papers.
Harry's eyes roamed over the full courtroom, checking for any signs of change from his memory of his last hearing. Nothing seemed out of place and as his brain processed this fact, he relaxed more and more into the chair. He deliberately made sure his eyes did not stray near the Minister and to the woman sat beside him. He did not want to shout out and make his case even worse for himself; who knew what Fudge would do then.
"Are we all ready to begin?" Fudge asked the Court. When he received murmurs of agreement, he nodded to the bespectacled man who sat slightly below him. Harry followed his gaze and his mouth turned don at the corners a little. It saddened him that the Percy Weasley sat in this room despised him and had turned his back on his family to believe in a power hungry, image conscious prat. In the future, Percy had told Harry on a quiet afternoon at the Burrow that estranging himself from his family was the biggest mistake he had ever done, and if he could turn back time, then he would go back to his family in a heartbeat. Harry could only hope that Percy came around quicker this time, before it was too late.
Fudge's voice snapped him out of his musings. "Disciplinary hearing of the twelve of August into offences committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy by Harry James Potter, resident at number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey." as the Minister's voice droned on, Harry couldn't help but wonder if Fudge was even aware of the meaning of the words he spoke or if he was just reading from some script.
"Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Harry's eyes met the ones of the square-jawed witch and he briefly detected a hint of sympathy and disgust in them. He puzzled over the emotions for a moment before the next name harshly snapped him back to reality. "Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior undersecretary to the Minister…"
Harry's teeth clenched as he balled his currently unscarred hand into a fist. His eyes narrowed a little as he took in the toad like, girly appearance of his most hated Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
She sat there, next the Minister, with a ow on her head, a smug smile widening her flabby lips. Harry had to restrain himself from growling at the woman, reminding himself that at this moment in tie, he wasn't supposed to know the sadistic toad. It was only when a voice came from behind him, did Harry remember himself and focus back on his hearing.
"Witness for the Defense, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."
Harry almost laughed aloud at the horrified and aghast expression that plaster itself over Fudge's face. He could have swore he saw the man flinch a little. Madam Bones looked slightly relieved and Umbridge looked like she had just chocked on a fly.
Dumbledore conjoured a comfier looking chair and sat besides Harry. He winked at the teen before he templed his fingers and smiling serenely at the Minister, who could only gape at him.
"Ah. You-er- got out -er- message…" He stuttered. Harry marveled at his inability to string a few words together. How people had voted him into office, Harry did not know; the man was an absolute tool.
"No, I must have missed it. Fortunately I arrived at the Ministry three hours early." If Fudge had any common sense or brains, Harry was sure that his eyes would narrow suspiciously. Luckily, the balding man in front of him seemed to be trying to compose himself.
"Right. Well… On to the charges." He cleared his throat and spoke even louder, though that did nothing to hide the waver in his voice as he read aloud Harry's charges. Then the questioning began.
"You are Harry James Potter, of number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?" He asked as he avoided Harry's eyes.
"Yes." Harry said. The slight undertone in his voice suggested that he thought that was obvious.
"You received an official warning from the Ministry for using illegal magic three years ago, did you not?"
"Yes, but-"
"And you conjoured a Patronous on the night of the second of August?"
"Yes, but-"
This pattern of questioning carried on for a few minutes; Fudge would ask a question and barely allow time for Harry to answer them. Despite the fact that Harry knew this would happen, he felt his blood boil with anger towards the sniveling man. It wasn't until Fudge's seventh question that the pattern was broken.
"Fully aware that you were in close proximity to a Muggle at the time?" The Minister sneered down at him, and it was then that Dumbledore interrupted the questioning- just as they had planned.
"Excuse me Minister, but I would just like to point out that while Harry performed the charm in front of a Muggle, said boy was fully aware of magic and has been since Mr Potter received is Hogwarts letter at the age of 11." The words were spoken calmly, but the effect was explosive.
A great murmuring broke out across the room, indicating that the members of the Court were not aware of this fact. Umbridge's eyes bulged comically as she sat ramrod straight in her chair; Percy's quill hesitated in his hand as he looked quizzically up at the Minister, who had turned an unflattering shade of white. Madam Bones was also looking at her boss, but with her eyes narrowed in anger.
"Is this true, Mr Potter?" She boomed at him.
"Yes. Dudley was the Muggle with me and I have lived with him and my aunt and Uncle since I was a year old." He answered in the same calm tone that Dumbledore had used. Percy was quickly scribbling every word down as Madam Bones' eyebrows raised.
"So, he is aware of Magic?"
"Yes ma'am. He has been aware of magic since we were 11, but he has witnessed several bouts of my accidental magic, and he was there when I received a warning about the Hover Charm three years ago, and when the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad arrived at my house to deflate my Aunt, two years ago." He promptly answered. He snuck a glance at Fudge who seemed to have sank a little in his seat as he gazed, shocked, at Harry and Dumbledore.
"And were your Aunt, Uncle and Cousin Obliviated at any of these instances?" She asked sharply. Although she was speaking to Harry, she was glaring icily at Fudge.
"Not that I am aware of, no."
Harry almost smiled with joy as he saw Madam Bones jump to her feet. The rest of the Court gasped and Umbridge looked at Harry with such hate, he was reminded of his detentions with the woman. He had a sudden inkling that if he were to serve detention this time around, then he would be facing more than just a Blood Quill.
Madam Bones' voice shattered to uneasy silence that descended upon the Courtroom as she ended the hearing. "I find Mr Harry James Potter cleared of the charges of his offense of Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlock's Statute of Secrecy. His charges of his offense under Paragraph C of the Degree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, will be suspended until it has been investigated fully by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Nothing more was said as the formidable witch glared once more at the Minister before walking out of the Courtroom. The rest of the Wizengamot followed in a stunned silence, a few of them staring curiously between the Minister and Harry. A few gave him smiles of encouragement that surprised him more than he could articulate.
"Good day, Harry." Dumbledore bade him farewell with a smile, before he too exited the room. Harry only hesitated a moment, before following after his Headmaster, a smile etched on his lips.
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Harry met Arthur outside the courtroom, laughing as the man gaped after the Wizengamot members who were further up the corridor. The man turned his amazed look on the teenager at the laugh and his mouth moved as though he were about to speak.
"I did tell you." Harry pointed out, his eyes twinkling in a familiar fashion. Arthur finally closed his mouth and shook his head wearily.
"I know, I just didn't think you were serious…." His voice trailed off as he looked over the younger man's shoulder. Harry frowned a little in confusion that soon cleared as he looked behind him and came face to face with Percy Weasley.
The third Weasley son spared his father and Harry a quick glance before he retreated down the corridor. Harry turned back to Mr Weasley and saw that he wore an ugly look that usually didn't grace his face. But as he stared a few moments longer, Harry saw the deep sadness that shone through the Patriarch's eyes. A quick glance back at the corridor, and Harry had made his decision.
"Wait here, a moment." He told the older man as he began to walk away.
"What? Harry…What are you doing? We need to leave now!" He protested. Harry didn't even turn around as he answered the man.
"It won't take long; I'll be back before soon. Just wait here for me." and with that, he turned the corner just before Percy turned around another.
"Percy!" He called out as he broke into a jog in order to catch up with him. Percy turned around, curious, but that look quickly faded into a sneer when he saw who was shouting his name.
"Potter. What do you want? I am a very busy man." He complained as he glared through his horn rimmed glasses. Harry wondered if the other man thought he was actually being intimidating.
"I just wanted a quick word with you." He answered. Percy grimaced at him.
"What about? I don't need to hear any of your lies, Potter. So why don't you just leave me alone." He hissed before turning around. He didn't get far, however, as Harry had grabbed his elbow and tugged him back.
"I know you miss them." He simply said.
Percy stiffened at those words. He remained still for a few moments before suddenly whirling around and glaring at the younger man with a glare so ferocious that Harry actually anted to take a step back.
"Don't you dare tell me what I already know!" He snarled fiercely at Harry, his eyes narrowed into slits. "Of course I miss them! They're my family! But they don't believe in me! They don't support me! They chose you and Dumbledore instead of me!"
Percy was breathing heavily as he finished and Harry just looked at him, stunned. For a moment, he couldn't say anything to the red haired man stood in front of him. But when he did finally say something, his voice was filled with an incredulous tone and a hint of reproachfulness.
"Of course they didn't chose us over you! They chose to believe the truth because they know exactly what Fudge is like!"
Percy snorted humorlessly. "Sure. That's why they didn't support me when I got promoted! That's why they told me to stop being stupid!"
"You know your parents! Would they say that for no reason?" Harry harshly bit back. He couldn't believe the blindness of Percy Weasley. Said man was about to interrupt before he cut him off. "The have always believed in you! Always supported you with your ambitions! Think about it! You are fresh out of Hogwarts with no real experience! Your last boss ended up being attacked and murdered under your very nose! Normally, a person would not be promoting into the highest office of the Ministry after that! If you truly believe that, then your ego is even bigger than I thought."
Percy turned bright red in anger as he visibly shook with rage. "You dare-"
"Of course I dare!" Harry yelled over him. "I dare because I see what your stupidity is doing to them! Your mother cries every time your name is mentioned; you dad seems angry, but everyone can tell he feels sad and betrayed; and your siblings hate you for what you're doing to them. They hate you, Percy." He ended in a softer tone. Percy's anger seemed to have evaporated as he listened to Harry explain his family's reaction. A part of him felt a vindictive pleasure that they were in pain, but a larger part ached for them; it was that part that kept him silent, that wished even more that he could go back to his family. That larger part was more rational and was starting to take in what the younger man was saying to him. Harry sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair.
"Listen, I didn't come after you to yell at you and insult you." He looked up at Percy, who was watching him with a little sadness. "I came to remind you of one thing."
Percy swallowed. "What?" he whispered quietly. Harry looked unblinkingly in his eyes as if to emphasise the seriousness of his words.
"You work at the Ministry, where people come and go easily. People are fired every day, for silly reasons. One moment they are the best at what they do, and then, nothing. They get fired and are told to move one." Harry's voice was now no higher than a low murmur. "Your job is not guaranteed safe. You may be fired tomorrow. Your job will not always be here, but your family will; they will always be there for you. All I ask is that you listen to what I have said, take it in and think about it. Hopefully it can convince you to come back to your family before its too late." He looked at the man for a minute more, before he turned around and began to walk away.
"Harry." Percy's voice stopped him. He did not turn around, but looked back a little to indicate that he was listening. "They would never take me back," He whispered brokenly. "Not after what I've done to them."
This time, Harry half turned and spoke in a calming and reassuring voice. "If you decide that you wish to come back to your family, owl me. I'll help you, I promise."
And with that, he turned and walked around the corner towards Arthur, leaving Percy to stare indecipherably at his back.
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Listening To: How Soon Is Now?- T.A.T.u
A/N 2: Well, how was it? Worth the wait? So appalling that you never want to read this again? Let me know :D
This chapter is over 13,000 words and took up 24 pages in word. That's a lot haha :D
Again, thank you so much to every person who has reviewed or added this story. It's really amazing to see people enjoying my work!
All recognised text is from 'Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix', Chapter Eight.
Now, it has taken me about a week to finish this chapter, and that is without a beta.
I plan on making my chapters longer as many of you said your prefer that, but if you want chapters as long as this one, then you will have to wait a week or maybe even two between updates. I promise that I won't abandon this story, and if I have to take a short hiatus, then it would only be due to a personal crisis or when I need o revise for my exams. I'm about to enter my last year in Sixth Form and so any exams I take from now on will decide which Universities I can get into. It's a little stressful!
I will always tell you when I won't be updating for a bit, and I will always come back after a few weeks. I will not abandon this story!
Happy reading!
LilMissMoonRay.